


Apprentice Minwu

by BlackBirdAolen



Category: Final Fantasy II
Genre: Alternative Timeline, Bad Feeling, Corruption, Different Outset, M/M, Palamecia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 07:07:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11375112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackBirdAolen/pseuds/BlackBirdAolen
Summary: After his studies in Mysidia, Minwu is called to the court of Emperor Mateus. But ignoring his gut feeling turns out to be a horrible idea...(It has been some time, but have some musings about how Final Fantasy II might pan out differently with a different setup. I might follow this up with a multi-chapter fic. After I finished my current multi-chapters...)Got a fanfic idea for me?My deviantART - full of original fiction.Snippets and ramblings on my tumblr.





	Apprentice Minwu

Minwu adjusted his robes before he entered the throne room. Only recently, his studies in Mysidia had ended, granting him the title of mage. He had been given books to teach him the most important spells for his journey, and after rather harrowing weeks in the wilderness, while fighting off monsters, pirates, and other threats, he had reached Palamecia. He had been told that Emperor Mateus had inquired specifically for him. What exactly the Emperor wanted from him was a mystery to Minwu.

He only ever had heard that Mateus was a very secretive man, to say the very least. Practically nothing was known of him, only that the desert nation of Palamecia was under his rule, even if it was a practically empty stretch of land. Why he would have chosen to still remain there was anyone’s guess. Minwu pondered that he didn’t want to lose the title of Emperor, which would probably have been the case if Mateus had left Palamecia behind and had sought out new lands. It would have been very unlikely that any other royalty would have given up their realm to give it to Mateus.

Minwu then gazed up and sighed as he saw that he was not yet at the end of his long journey. He had crossed a part of the desert, always sticking to the foot of the mountains east of the desert. Now, he had to follow a long, winding way up into the mountains, where in the distance, he could make out the dark gray stone of the castle. Emperor Mateus really lived in the middle of nowhere. But he seemed well-informed enough that he could have requested a mage of Mysidia to join his court.

The way upward was about as harrowing as the journey through the desert. There were plants and trees next to the path, so the sun wasn’t beating down on him quite as mercilessly. But that didn’t mean that it was any cooler in the shade. The heat radiating from the desert was felt even here, and only when he was about halfway up the mountain could Minwu feel a relief. He paused for a while, to recover from the ascent, before he continued on the winding way.

The gate of the castle was cracked open, and warmth was coming from the inside. Not heat, but only a gentle warmth. It was pretty cold already, with how high above the desert the castle stood. Minwu had needed almost a whole day to get to the castle, and by the time he was there, he was about ready to fall over and go straight to sleep. But before he could do so, he would have to introduce himself, and learn why he had been sent here. No sooner had he entered the castle and looked about, that a deep, heavy sleep crept up on him. Minwu couldn’t remember what he saw afterwards. He only remembered that he was so exhausted that he sank into the arms of someone.

After a good night’s sleep, Minwu sluggishly got out of bed, rubbing his eyes. He wondered what had happened that he so suddenly had fallen asleep. He just had thought about how exhausted he was, but that shouldn’t have been enough to suddenly make him fall asleep. Minwu was embarrassed that it had happened. That should make for an interesting first impression on Emperor Mateus. He hoped that it would not ruin his first meeting with the emperor completely.

There was a light knock on the door, and a man in black armor entered. His face was completely obscured by a helmet, and he nodded towards Minwu. “Emperor Mateus is expecting you. As soon as you’re ready, I shall lead you to him.”

Minwu was slightly stumped, but he nodded cautiously. He hadn’t expected that to happen. There had been rumors that the emperor was raising an army, but for an unknown reason. No one wanted to accuse him of wanting to start a war, so it was a tense peace as of the moment. Minwu shifted uneasily as he got ready, then he followed the black-clad man through the maze of corridors that was Emperor Mateus’s castle.

“When you arrived yesterday, you must have been quite exhausted. I never have seen anyone fall asleep quite so suddenly.” The man seemed amused, and Minwu blushed in shame. Had he fallen into the arms of that very man when he had entered the castle? The thought was embarrassing. “But I can understand you. The castle of Palamecia is in a very unusual place, and reaching it takes quite something out of anyone. My first arrival here wasn’t any more elegant either.”

“I-I see.” Minwu cleared his throat, looking around. Something about the castle made his skin crawl. There was little personnel to be seen, and even they did look slightly off. His senses told him that not all in this castle was at it should be, but he couldn’t focus on it too much. He had to be prepared for the Emperor’s questions, though the biggest question lingering on his mind would barely permit him to think about that anyway. Why was he here, and why had Mateus asked for him specifically?

It took a full ten minutes of walking until they reached the throne room of Mateus. Until then, Minwu was certain that if he went back alone, he would get hopelessly lost in the castle. The walls were mostly naked, and offered little to no hint where he was now. That was an excellent tactic to confuse potential invaders, but the workers here probably had to memorize every single corner and junction of corridors to have any chance of finding their way around here.

The black-armored man pushed open a grand, double-winged door, and the throne room of Emperor Mateus welcomed them. Minwu was astonished to find it lavishly furnished, more akin to the living accommodations of royalty than a simple throne room. There was purple everywhere, apparently the favored color of the emperor, since he was robed in purple and gold as well. Minwu was so astonished by his surroundings that he almost forgot to bow to Mateus, and introduce himself. That seemed to amuse the emperor, though Minwu still felt unwell about it.

“Welcome, Minwu of Mysidia. I have waited for your arrival for quite some time.” Mateus looked him up and down, and something in his gaze made Minwu believe that he saw more than just the outside. “You have great potential, I can tell that already. And you are destined to become a powerful mage. I think I already have something in mind for you…”

As Emperor Mateus’s aura enveloped Minwu, the mage realized too late that he had walked straight into the arms of a demon. Darkness swallowed the white mage, and when it would recede, one of the most powerful black mages known to the world would remain behind…


End file.
